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Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Be the First to Help

Ibne Abbas (RA) narrates: Rasulullah (Peace be upon him) sent Abdullah ibne Rawaha (RA) with a Jamaat (expedition) on a Friday. His companions set off in the morning, but he decided to stay behind and catch up with them after offering Salat-ul-Jumah (Friday Prayers) with Rasulullah (Peace be upon him). When he did so, he was spotted by Rasulullah (Peace be upon him), who inquired: What prevented you from going out in the morning with your companions. He replied: I wanted to offer Salat-ul-Jumah with you and then join them. He said: If you spend all that is present in the world, you will still not be able to attain the reward and virtues of those who left in the morning.

Source: Hadith from Tirmidhi.

Whenever the opportunity comes to help Islam, we should not delay and immediately take part in helping. Allah has promised great rewards and forgiveness for those who are always the first to sacrifice for Islam.



 

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The Wooden Bowl

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year-old grandson. The old man's hands trembled,his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth. The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. We must do something about Grandfather," said the son. I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor. So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl.

When the family glanced in Grandfather's direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food.

The four-year-old watched it all in silence. One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, "What are you making?" Just as sweetly, the boy responded, "Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food when I grow up." The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.

The words so struck the parents that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done. That evening the husband took Grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

Allah mentions in Surah Al Isra 17:23-24

And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him. And that you be dutiful to your parents. If one of them or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of disrespect, nor shout at them but address them in terms of honour.

And lower unto them the wing of submission and humility through mercy, and say: "My Lord! Bestow on them Your Mercy as they did bring me up when I was small." 


 

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The One who did Sajdah to Allah


The following incident was mentioned by brother Aslam Nakhuda during a lecture that he gave on 24/1/2004. Brother Aslam is an Imam of Jame Masjid Brampton in Canada.

He said that three years back a group of eight brothers, including him, set out to Texas, USA for dawah. They spent sometime there to remind the residents about the reality of this life. On their way back, they stopped by a service station beside a highway to perform the Magrib prayer. One of the brothers gave the Adhan (Call to prayer). Two Non Muslim men were passing by when the Adhan was being called. Being curious, they came to the brothers and asked them who they were, where do they come from and what they were doing. The brothers told them that they are Muslims who are coming from Toronto, Canada with the glad tidings of Islam. A scholar, who was with them, discussed about Islam with the non-Muslim men for 2 or 3 minutes. Then the brothers prepared to offer the salah. The non Muslims who were standing by asked what they should be doing now. The brothers told them to join the prayer and just follow along. The two men decided to join the prayer. The imam recited Surah Fatiha and another surah after it. Then he went to Ruku' and both the Non Muslims did the same. When time for sajdah (prostration on the ground) came, the Non Muslims started hesitating and didn't know whether they should also prostrate on the ground as they never did this before. One of them decided not to do so and he left the prayer. However, the other one just went to sajdah. After the prayer, this person who agreed to prostrate to Allah was blessed with iman. He accepted Islam from the brothers.

Dear readers, this is what we have to do. We have to submit to the will of Allah and in return He will bless us with iman. On the other hand, a person who is arrogant and decide not to submit to the will of Allah may just be deprived of iman.

 

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An Orphan's Eid

It was the day of celebration and a day of rejoicing. There was an air of festivity in the streets of Madinah. All the people, both young and old were dressed in their best clothes, especially for this special day of Eid.

As it was time for early morning Eid prayers everyone made their way to an open piece of land on the outskirts of the city. The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) arrived and led the prayers. After they had finished they all greeted each other and everyone was walking back home. The children running and playing in excitement, smiling and laughing, without a care in the world. As the Prophet (pbuh) walked back home, he suddenly became aware of a little boy (Zuhair Bin Saghir) sitting by himself on the side of the path. The little boy was crying and looked very sad. The Prophet (pbuh) bent down and patted him on the shoulders and asked 'why are you crying?' 'Please leave me alone' sobbed the little boy. The boy didn't even see who was talking to him. The Prophet (pbuh) ran his fingers through the boy's hair and very gently and kindly asked him again why he was crying. This time the boy said, 'My father was martyred fighting, and now my mother has married again and my stepfather does not want me to live at home any more. Today is Eid and everyone is happy. All the children have new clothes and nice things to eat, but I don't have any clothes except what I am wearing. I have no food and I don't even have a place to live.'

The Prophet (pbuh) said to him, 'I know how you feel, I lost both my mother and father when I was a little boy.' The boy was surprised to hear that it was an orphan who was comforting him, and when he looked up to his great surprise it was the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), and he immediately jumped up to his feet out of love and respect.

The Prophet (pbuh) said to him 'If I were to become your new father and Ayesha you new mother, and Fatima your new sister, would that make you feel better?' 'Oh yes, that would be the best thing in the world!' The boy started smiling. The Prophet took him home and gave him new clothes and good food on this beautiful day of Eid. The boy indeed had a wonderful Eid that day.

We should think of others that are less fortunate than ourselves on this beautiful day of Eid. Not everyone has such a wonderful day. It is a day of celebration, but take a moment to stop and think of those who are less fortunate than ourselves.




 

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A Quality to Avoid

Abu Hurairah (RA) narrates that Rasulullah (peace be upon him) happened to pass by a heap of grain and inserted his hand into it; his fingers were moistened by the wet grain. At this, he asked the owner of the grain: What is this? The man replied: O Rasulullah! It is due to rain. Rasulullah (peace be upon him) said: Why didn't you put the damp (wet) grain on top of the heap, so people could see it? He who deceives people does not belong to me (my Ummah).

Source: Sahih Muslim.

We should always remember that deception is one of the qualities of Shaitan. Others may not see us when we are deceiving them but Allah is there watching us. A true believer knowing that he has to stand in front of Allah will avoid such activities.



 

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